Idea for short story on nazism

[MisterLove]

I'm planning to write a short story about a German student that arrives to fascist Berlin and saves the life of a Jewish doctor.

I will post a translation of the finished work here.

Meanwhile, any tips and suggestions are more than welcome.

[partisan]

Have the student - Hans - have a high ranking Nazi relative, like a really high one like Dr Goeballs or keitel, this gives him advantages, like Herman Goerings half-brother, who saved jews!

[partisan]

Dont forget to mention the music of wagner in writing a story about nazism.

[MisterLove]

Great tips, Sweetie. Thanks.

Wagner is a nice touch, I will definitely look into that.

I still haven't figured things out entirely but here are a few ideas I'm planning to use:

a) I believe every story needs to have some sort of 'moral', central idea or leitmotiv and mine is going to be the importance of silence. It's something that is very dear to me (I'm a quiet person not because I'm shy but because I'm cautious by nature) and makes perfect sense in the context of this story. 'Hans' will have to choose between denouncing the Jewish doctor and keeping his mouth shut. Moreover, silence is a very important cultural trait of Germans, these guys are much quieter than folks from Southern Europe.

b) A central idea is essential but I also believe in 'shooting in several directions'. Take a look at William Friedkin's The Exorcist, for example: the main theme of the movie is science vs religion but there are also many other elements thrown in there, e.g. the mother-daughter relationship, immigration, etc. I want to do something similar and include several secondary motifs: disease, paranormal activity, mistery, sex, homosexuality, etc.

[Woollyhats]

Hmm. I would draw from true stories in writing your short story, such as the story of Schindler's List, a man who gave up much to save "his" jews. When the jews were first being targetted, they were spoken out against with hate and disdain in society, and silence in that regard could be a part of your story. Unfortunately, I believe that "when you are neutral in times of injustice, you've chosen the side of the oppressor" (one of my favourite quotes), so perhaps you might add something more into the story as well.

It's a fascinating topic though. Good luck .

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schindler's_List

[partisan]

I think silence is a great idea, for many reasons, like the germans who opposed nazis but remained silent, and the truth was silenced.

[MisterLove]

Thanks guys, keep posting those ideas, I'm loving it.

I don't want to give too much away but here are a few more ideas I'm planning to use:

- The concierge is a lovely person but turns out to be a nazi supporter

- The neighbour that helped the Jewsih doctor is arrested in the middle of the night but 'Hans', who only played a small part, gets away with it

- The identity of the informer will remain unknown

- Another idea I want to stress is how WW2 was able to undermine and destroy peoples' private lives and relationships. That, I believe, was something new in History. Not even the sanctity, solidarity and privacy of the courtyard were spared!

- The protagonist is sick throughout the whole story, so in the end everything feels like a dream and lots of questions are left unanswered

[dvdbwn]

here's some stuff i've read on the topic that might be good for research:

this book is good but hard to read...

"The Men with the Pink Triangle: The True Life-and-Death Story of Homosexuals in the Nazi Death Camps"

and there's the play "Bent" by martin sherman, which was made into a movie of the same name in 1997